Finding Encounters

The Connect Care clinical information system (CIS) provides information about patients, as well as information about the delivery of care to those patients, always presented in "context". The context might be a clinical question, an encounter with healthcare providers, a stay in a healthcare facility, or a series of events linked in an episode of care. 

The first step in any Connect Care clinical workflow must connect patient with context. Before looking up a patient, be aware of whether the purpose is to manage a visit (outpatient), admission (inpatient) or connected sequence of events (episode).

Getting this right matters. If a consultant in the emergency department evaluates a patient and starts Connect Care by looking up the patient rather than the consult, then actions like admitting the patient will be frustrated because the needed inpatient tools (e.g., admission navigator) will not be present.

Opening Charts in Context

When doing an emergency room consult...

When seeing an admitted patient...

When seeing a patient in clinic...

Determining Context of an Open Encounter

Hyperspace Layout

Once a patient chart is open, it is important to confirm that the context fits the work. Basic contexts (inpatient, outpatient) should be obvious from the chart layout upon opening. 

Other Indicators

There are other informational cues that reflect the context of an encounter entered upon opening a chart. 

Finding Encounters

Patient charts can be opened in or out of a specific encounter. Either way, clinicians may want to review all encounters (known to Connect Care) to get a sense of a patient's interaction with the health system; or to find, open or change the chart context to a specific encounter.

The "Chart Review" activity is available (usually the leftmost chart tab) in all contexts. When selected, a number secondary tabs appear within the activity. The "Encounters" tab facilitates discovery of past, present and future encounters.

Changing Encounters

If a patient chart is open but does not have the expected layout, navigators or activities, there is a good chance that the chart has been opened outside of an encounter or opened to an unintended encounter. Changing encounters is easy. Use Search (top right and on StoryBoard) to jump to the "Select Encounter" activity, where a different encounter can be identified, selected and opened. The "Select Encounter" activity can also be found (and made a favourite) for the activity tabs that show when a chart is opened to an inpatient or outpatient context.

If a patient chart is not already open, using the "Patient Lookup" function (main menu or Chart Search for "Patient Lookup"), then an encounter can be selected at the time of opening a new chart by this means.

Resources